The show – unlike more cerebral Simon works like “Broadway Bound,” “Lost in Yonkers” and even “The Odd Couple” – is a farce, and sometimes it will have you laughing out loud. But the plot is just flimsy enough that it eventually gets in the way of some fine performances.

It all takes place during a couple of hours at an anniversary dinner party in which the husband is off-stage with a gunshot wound and the wife is nowhere to be found. Guests arrive, rumors are spread and, for some odd reason, no one wants to tell the truth. Even when the police arrive, the guests panic because they don’t want to tell the truth. Simon tries to explain it, but it doesn’t really make much sense.

Cast that aside, though, and you have some fun, if uneven, performances.

At Thursday’s opening night, highlights were Barry Austin as Ken, one of the first party guests to arrive; Gabrielle Metz, as a dissatisfied politician’s wife; and Laura Elton, hysterical as a snooty socialite named Claire. Though some were stronger than others, all the rest were fine, too. This is a farce complete with fast entrances and exits and doors slamming and perfectly timed dialogue, and director Carl Stewart and his cast handled it all with aplomb.

Russell DeBusk and Kathleen Jensen’s set works well, too, and Kim Dometrovich’s costumes, especially a wacky dress worn by Cookie (Valerie Lemmons), are a lot of fun to look at.

The production has a lot going for it, and audiences will certainly enjoy it. It’s just a shame that Simon didn’t serve up a better plot, one that makes a little more sense for all the folks on stage to be keeping such big secrets from each other. At times you might be saying to yourself, “Just TELL them already!”

Yes, it’s a farce, but it would be a lot funnier if the plot didn’t feel so thrown together.